Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Micro-scale reaction systems commonly use electrokinetic pumps to deliver controlled amounts of reagents. Electrokinetic pumps convert electrical potential to hydraulic power. In particular, electrokinetic pumps comprise a channel with spaced apart electrodes disposed at each end of the channel. A polar solvent may be delivered to the channel. When a voltage difference is applied to the spaced apart electrodes, the electrical potential promotes the flow of the polar solvent through the channels.